In Front of the Future
by Forum Fandom Terrors
Summary: I’m here right now. This is the present. I’m here. He’s here. And I’m seeing his smile. Adult!Lambo Tsuna.


Well, it's Jack again, here with a fic from Mine-chan… she said I could post it here, so I did!

Title: In Front of the Future  
Authors: Mine-chan  
Characters/Pairings: Well… none really, but if you look _really_ closely, like you turn upside down and close one eye and squint with the other… you'll be a tiny bit closer to seeing it. Err, seeing the tiny bit of LamboXTsuna.  
Warnings: I can't think of anything right now.  
Summary: I'm here right _now_. This is the present. I'm here. And _he's_ here. I'm seeing his smile.

And suddenly, I find myself here again. 20 years into the past.

"Lambo?"

It's his voice I first hear.

"Hello, Vongola-san."

"Lambo? From 20 years in the future?"

I almost laughed. It's quite obvious that I am from twenty years into the future, but he still says it out loud anyway. He's still the same as I remember him. Or is it that Tsuna-nii's never changed?

I look around, feeling calm and peace come over me. Nothing life threatening was happening here, nothing was happening that just suddenly decides ones very future. I look at them all, passing through each and every face. They're all young here. And he's still brimming with life. Hibari-san's not here, though. And that cute nee-chan who always hung around that guy that had a pineapple haircut. But everyone else was here. They're all happy. Smiling faces turned shocked because of my sudden appearance.

My five year old self probably had another argument with Reborn-san. If not, then Gokudera-san.

I know this would only last five minutes, but five minutes are all I need to make me feel more… alive. Because there's something with Tsuna-nii's smile -even the most nervous and hilarious ones- that stir within me so much hope and optimism in the future. It's all I need to make it through another bleak day, another lonely night. Because in twenty years, in twenty short years, that same smile would vanish, vanish so quickly that I didn't have time to etch it firmly and permanently in my head.

Five minutes are all I need to do just that.

So I stare at him. And Tsuna-nii stares back, smiling that part nervous, part panicky smile. Honestly, I missed that. I miss a lot of things. I missed out on a lot of things.I don't want to think about those things that I miss.

I don't even want to think about my regrets.

I'm here right _now_. This is the present. I'm here. And _he's_ here. I'm seeing his smile.

And then, all of a sudden, everything's all right in the world.

I smile at him, the biggest smile I could muster and say, "Arigato, Tsuna-nii."

His smile disappears and is replaced by a confused frown, "Arigato for what, Lambo?"

"You'll see," I just said. I couldn't tell him everything could I? I couldn't tell them that this person right in front of me would die so soon. I couldn't break it to them here, where everything's still peaceful, where everyone, where I was still blissfully unaware of what was to come. I owe it to them, to Gokudera-san, who always bullied me but was the one who always sat patiently with me to help me study; to Yamamoto-san, the ever-dense baseball freak who would always play catch with me; to Ryohei-san, who always pushed and pushed me to my limits but made me stronger as a fighter and as a person; to Maman and Iemitsu-san, who took me in even if I was such a pain; to Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee, who took care of me whenever no one can; to the Cavallone, Dino-san, who always stood by Tsuna-nii and always gave me smiles that assured me that everything would be okay, that Tsuna-nii would stay safe with him. I even owe it to Hibari-san, who was always so cold but always so honest with me; to Mukuro-san and Chrome-nee, who gave me the most terrifying experiences of my life but had stuck with me whenever I needed help; to Reborn-san, who was always, _always_ so violent to me, but had offered his friendship and guidance as I matured and grew up.

Most of all, though, I owe it to this boy standing before me right now. It was he who gave me the most precious thing any person could ever receive.

He gave me courage; courage not to face the fiercest enemies, but courage to face the worst of my fears. He gave me strength; strength not to defeat all those who stand in my way, but strength enough to protect everything that is precious to me. He gave me Home, a place I could leave and go back to without question, a place where I could freely be me, a place where I could feel safe and secure and _loved_, a place where I felt like I truly belonged. Tsuna-nii gave me all these and more. I couldn't even begin to list how much he'd given to me, how much he sacrificed for me. It was Tsuna-nii, after all, who first saw me as _me_. It was he who offered his shoulder when I cried, when everything was so hard to take and when I was just about to give up. It was he who drove me off to school, taught me the strangest things that he thought could help me make friends. It was Tsuna-nii… who first offered his love.

I can't even begin to say how thankful I am that I took it.

"Lambo," he began, knocking me off my thinking, "Is something gonna happen in the future?"

The question startled me that it almost wiped the smile on my face. How could I forget about Tsuna-nii's intuition?

"Something wrong? Nothing will happen in the future. Everyone… E-Everyone is happy where I came from."

The rest of them cheered at that but I knew he didn't believe me.

"Are you sure? You're not hiding things from me?" he said, with a tone as if berating a child, "Because if you are, Lambo…"

I laughed at that. Tsuna-nii, a boy _barely_ an adult, berating _me_, who already was one, with a face as if I were a child. I couldn't help but laugh harder at the memories it brought. Tsuna-nii never did drop the habit. To him, I was always that little boy, the one he needed to keep under his wing, the one he needed to protect. Tsuna-nii never did get that I was growing up, too, and that I could protect him as much as everyone else, that I _wanted_ to protect him as much as everyone else.

Tsuna-nii always did think of others before himself.So, it really didn't come as a shock when I heard the news.

"I'm not hiding anything, Tsuna-nii." At least, nothing you should know of.

And then he smiles again. I know he still doesn't believe me, but he smiles at me.

Could anyone blame for wanting to stay by his side? Even for just a little while more, even for a few more seconds… Just… Please… Let me stay by his side. Just one more time. And I swear, I swear that I shall never ask for anything again.

Knowing it won't come true, there was only one thing I _could_ do.

Quickly, suddenly afraid my time might run out, I cross the distance between us, and I envelop him in my arms. I held him tight, held him there for as long as I can, and I wept.

He hears my sob, feels how my body shakes and he starts to push, to break away from the hug to see if I'm all right.

I don't let him though. I hold him tighter, and I cried harder.

_I didn't want you to die._

Feeling the signs that I was about to go back, I whispered fervently, hoping he'd take my words to heart, hoping that in some way I'd be able to keep him from the one thing that haunts me even now, "Tsuna-nii, please… Don't die."

_Please, don't die._

A/N: And there it is!! Enjoy!!


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